Fire and Faith
by 4thPersonNarrative
Summary: A story about the seasons after The Last Hope, when many of the previous Warriors have passed on and the final battle is unknown to the descendants. What remains of the Clans when their main threat is all but gone? Is everything just the same as before?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_"Rosepetal?" Rosepetal_ _sighed as_ she heard her mother's shaky mew from behind her. What did she want now? She had heard from the medicine cats from before that had told her that when she-cats get older, they tend to become more forgetful, less attentive. More connected to Starclan, they told her. Rosepetal snorted. _Just say it. I know my mother is dying. You don't have to taint it with your silly belief those cats up in the stars. _

Of course, Rosepetal herself was getting older, too. She had lived for more seasons than she could count, watched her brothers and sisters die around her feet, listened to cats screech and perish in battle while she always came out alive. She was a survivor, no doubt, but for what? Her life was unnaturally long, like her mother's, but what did it give her? Just more pain.

"What is it, mother?" She turned around to face the creamy-colored she-cat who had nurtured her for all her life. Rosepetal could hardly recognize her now, she was so lacking life. The beautiful blue eyes that her late father had fallen in love with were so dull now, like her mother had nothing to share with the world anymore.

Daisy coughed slightly as she climbed the last small hill to the hiding place Leafpool had shown her so long ago. "I wanted to talk to you, Rosepetal."

"You can do that in the Elder's den, Daisy."

She glared at Rosepetal. "You know what I wanted to talk to you about. Something I can't share with the apprentices."

Rosepetal took in breath. She did know what Daisy was talking about.

"It seems you do," The ancient she-cat had sensed her daughter's discomfort and pounced on it, "the Battle."

The younger of the two stepped back slightly, not believing that her mother would bring that fatal night up once again. It was hard enough having to live through it, let alone analyze it like her mother seemed obsessed to do now. Rosepetal replied slowly, "Mother," she mewed cautiously, "don't do this."

"Why not?"

"You don't want to add additional stress on your body. Sagebrush says you're barely holding up as is." Rosepetal masked her fear with a concern about her mother's health.

"Oh, when hedgehogs fly." Daisy snorted, "You want me to die as much as I do." She looked down at her paws sadly. "I'm sick of this life. I want to go meet Spiderleg up there." The she-cat looked up longingly at the sky, with the stars shimmering down like faces.

"Oh, don't start that on me." Rosepetal snarled, getting to her feet. "I'm sick of this life? How about, 'I'm sick of hearing about that foxbrained Starclan'? Huh?"

"Wha...what do you mean?" Daisy's mewl was pitiful on the ear.

"I mean, what has Starclan ever done for us? When has Starclan ever come down from those skies and lent a helping paw? And yet, we still visit them in our sleep, a bunch of glorified daydreams!"

Daisy, although usually complacent and kind, reared up in fury, eyes glimmering with ferocity. "How dare you insult Starclan? Where do you think we'll go when we die?"

"I don't know!" Rosepelt nearly screeched. "But how can we trust and worship cats who didn't have the wits to keep themselves alive? Half of them died in battle!"

"Maybe...maybe you're right." The blue eyes admitted defeat as Daisy collapsed on the ground like a trapped bird that didn't want to fight the inevitable. "I...I just don't know. I want to believe that there's cats out there who are always watching out for us, but...as the time goes on, I can't believe that those kind, benevolent souls would take everyone I love from me, just like that. While I'm still here to endure all of it."

Rosepelt padded over to her mother, and laid down next to her, so close that their pelts were nearly intertwined. "I'm sorry, Daisy. That I hurt you. But I can't believe they would take Spiderleg and Berrynose and Hazelfur and Toadstep and... Bumblestripe from us, just like that. While we're forced to survive through it."

"And the Battle."

Rosepelt sucked in breath for a few seconds before answering. "Yes. And the Battle."

The younger she-cat could feel her mother fall asleep beside her, and soon the rhythmic breathing lulled her to sleep too.

Daisy and Rosepetal would never wake up.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_ Rustle, rustle..._

_ Hiss!_

_ What? I did nothing!_

_Oh, Ebonypaw. You scared me. _

_ Oh, hey Silverpaw. I was just patrolling. _

_ ...Do you want to go walking?_

_ Sure! Hey, here's an extra bird I caught. Do you want to share it? Nobody has to know that we didn't share it with the clan..._

Silverpaw jolted awake from her dream, sweating through her fur. Or was it even a dream? Sometimes, with that night, she couldn't quite tell. It was too much like a nightmare than real life.

She glanced around the apprentices' den, making sure that nobody else was awake. Sure enough, there was Owlpaw, snoring in her nest like she owned the entire den. Ivypaw, curled up in a corner, and...Ebonypaw. In the nest farthest away from Silverpaw's, back turned away from her. That's how it had been every single night since summer.

She stood up to stretch, arching her back and twisting her neck around so far that she had been nicknamed "Little Owl" for her strange talent. Silverpaw snorted. It had been Runningpelt who had given her that honor. The prankster never seemed to let up with his jokes.

Turning to the entrance, she slipped out of the brambles and into the clearing, suddenly bathed in moonlight. Silverpaw did like the moon, mostly how the way it shimmered off of her silver pelt like she was made of starlight. Divine, her mother had once called it. Of course, Willowfur didn't have another kit to look after, so she was allowed to pile on the praise.

No cats other than herself were present in the hollow, or at least not that she could see. The rocky walls were only filled with the whistling of the wind and the hooting of owls unseen.

Remembering one of the many lessons that Embereye had taught her, Silverpaw hustled so that she was under an overhang in the rock. The one-eyed she-cat who was her mentor had demonstrated how easily an owl can carry off a small cat by letting one catch Silverpaw herself in only her second month of training. The experience only left the memory of talons, wind, and fear in the apprentice's mind, as well as the valuable lesson. She now vowed she would never be caught off guard like that again.

Making naught a noise, Silverpaw slipped over to the hollow's entrance like a pelt over stone. The newly appointed warrior, Spottedheart, was on duty for his first night by himself. Silverpaw wished she could go over and talk to him, cheer him up. She remembered when he would train with them, how he would always knock the younger apprentices over and then help them back on their feet only to barrel them over again. After a while, the pattern had set in and no one wanted to play with him anymore. But he was still a close friend, or at least Silverpaw hoped he wouldn't become to uptight for play now that he was a warrior.

As she passed behind Spottedheart, his ears didn't even flicker back. Silverpaw, despite her silvery pelt, was quite adept at sneaking around alone. Teamwork, however, was not exactly her specialty. Other cats puzzled her more than the tunnels below her feet. Like Ebonypaw.

She dashed back to the den, not wanting to think of that cat. Sure, something about him drew in every single she-cat for miles, but he was a foxbrained tom who didn't know the limits of himself. Why other cats, including herself, were attracted to him, Silverpaw didn't quite understand. She thought she did, before, but what was it? A kit-like crush.

A rustling from above caught her attention for a moment. She scented cat, but it was Thunderclan smell. Probably just a cat who, like her, needed some air. But, even still, she listened in out of curiosity. There was some slight hissing, but whatever cat was up there might have stepped on a thorn or something sharp. Uninterested, she trotted back to the entrance to the apprentices' den.

Glancing around her yet again, she wormed her way back into her den, into the scent of used moss. Silverpaw wrinkled her nose in disgust, silently retching. She'd have to clear out the den again, and fetch new moss. A day's work was a small price to pay to keep her sanity. Too bad Owlpaw and Ebonypaw were too lazy to help her, and Ivypaw was always so busy with her half-siblings.

She laid down in her fresh bedding, collapsing into it's softness. Maybe she could forget Ebonypaw. Eventually. All it needed was a good night's sleep, something she hadn't gotten since the last Gathering, and a new perspective. Tomorrow she would face whatever threats surrounded her recovery. But tonight she would rest, and rest well.

Silverpaw was asleep before she closed her eyes.

The screeching of a cat shook the apprentice awake.

"No! No!" Silverpaw leaped up from where she was laying, but almost immediately had to lay down again. She hadn't gotten enough sleep, not with her midnight excursion.

She felt her denmates rush outside to face whatever new threat to the clan there was, while one paused to help Silverpaw.

"Hey, Silverpaw. You okay?" Ebonypaw's deep meow resonated in her ears like the death cry of kits.

She raised her head to meet the black tom face to face. "I'm fine, Ebonypaw." Silverpaw growled, desperately wishing the tom would get the message.

"Really? because-"

"I'm fine, like I said. Get away from me." The she-cat hissed with all her cooped up malice inside suddenly spilling out. She stood up quickly, unsheathing her claws.

Ebonypaw glanced down at them and recoiled. "Starclan, I'm sorry. What did I do?"

_Well, to start, you made me accidentally murder some kits. Is that reason good enough for you? _Silverpaw's mew softened slightly, but her gaze didn't. She wanted Ebonypaw to be just as uncomfortable as she was, if not more. "I'm just cranky. I had a bad dream."

"Oh."

It took Silverpaw a few moments to realize why she had even woken up in the first place. Remembering the screeching cat, she dashed outside in panic.

The sudden splash of light blinded her, but after a few heartbeats she was able to see what the cat had been screeching about.

Rosepelt and Daisy were laying in the middle of the hollow, still as fresh-kill. Huddled around them were legions of cats, Silverpaw noticed Embereye and Moonstar herself in the front with Oakfire, the clan deputy. At first, she couldn't tell what everyone was so worked up about, the elders just decided to sleep outside for one night. They might catch a cold, but nothing fatal. But when the sun began to rise over the crest of the stone ravine, the issue with the unmoving forms was immediately apparent. Because the red blood covering the elders' pelts reflected off the sun's warm glow.

"Starclan..." Silverpaw whispered, dropping into a crouch and sneaking forward. Hopefully she might get a good idea of what the senior warriors thought of this horror before she was sent off to protect the kits. Unfortunately, she only caught a glimpse of the corpses before Rainflame, one of the younger warriors, dragged her back to the other apprentices.

"Oh no." The dark gray she-cat turned to the four of them. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she began to explain to them. "Believe me, you don't want to go over there. Once we know more, we'll tell you. But, right now, you head straight off to the nursery and keep the kits busy while we break the news to the queens." Rainflame glanced behind her shoulder at the huddled mass of cats, "And if I see you trying to sneak a peek of them again, Silverpaw, all of you will be confined to camp for two moons."

Silverpaw ducked her head in shame as the four apprentices turned to the brambles that concealed the nursery. She looked behind them and noticed that Rainflame was still sitting there, watching them until all of the apprentices had made it into the thicket.

Once they were in the concealing bush, however, the others nearly pounced on her with questions.

"What did the bodies look like?" Owlpaw's eyes were shining with curiosity. "No, really, what did you see?"

Ivypaw was a bit more hesitant but still mewed, "Do you think...there's any chance...?"

Understanding what she meant, Silverpaw shook her head silently, as if already in vigil for the elders. Ivypaw's jaw trembled and she looked away, down at her kit siblings who were now tumbling around her feet, asking questions of their own.

How she could be so certain that there was no hope for the lives of the elders was troubling at best, but what Silverpaw saw shook her much more badly than any autumn chill could.

The bodies of Rosepetal and Daisy had been torn to pieces. Bits of fur, ripped off the muscle and thrown to the ground, and blood everywhere. Some of it might have even been fresh. Whomever did this, wanted not only the elders to suffer, but their lifeless corpses to feel pain as well. Silverpaw felt like she had to vomit at the memory of the mutilation.

She looked up at her denmates. Ivypaw was leaning against her, a soft pelt to rub against. Owlpaw was sitting in a corner, as silent as a stone as Lilykit and Ironkit toppled over her, playing their little game of "Toss the Moss". But Ebonypaw was sitting, still as a tree trunk, by the exit to the hollow, staring at Silverpaw with the intensity of a hunter and his prey. She shuddered slightly, pressing up against Ivypaw's warm red fur. _Forget him. Forget him._ But, suddenly, Silverpaw wasn't sure how.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_"Dear Starclan." Nightpool whispered as _she followed Sagebrush into the middle of the hubbub of cats. It seemed like the world was toppling in on her, that Starclan themselves had forsaken this hollow and every cat who had ever taken up residence here. The mutilated forms of the two oldest cats around the lake were not a paw's length in front of her, and Nightpool felt she was ready to die too.

_No! You are a Medicine Cat! _But it was things like this that made her rethink her training over and over again.

"Nightpool!"

The sudden call from her mentor startled her. "Y...y..yes, Sagebrush?"

The Thunderclan medicine cat was glaring at her from where she stood, at Daisy's head. "I said, bring me cobwebs. Have you gone completely daft?"

"N..no. I'll fetch some right away." _Like cobwebs are going to have any effect on a pair of corpses that don't even resemble cats anymore._ But Nightpool dashed off to the herb storage anyways, holding her tongue, and returned with the requested ingredient.

Nightpool watched in fascination as Sagebrush leaned down so that her nose was only a whisker's length away from the torn up stomach of what used to be Daisy, and reached her paw down into the mesh. The cobwebs she had wrapped around her paws kept her from catching any affliction that might have taken root in the corpses since the time of the murder, but the black she-cat admired the way her mentor seemed to have no fear of death on a daily basis. Maybe it was her greencough scare a few seasons ago that made her wiser, but Nightpool hadn't been alive to see the difference.

After Sagebrush had finished collecting a sample, she sent Nightpool off to fetch some dock while she collected another, this time from Rosepetal's stomach. However, as she was returning with the leaves, Nightpool overheard a bit of conversation.

"Is there any hope...?"

"No. Not one bit." Nightpool could imagine the creamy medicine cat shaking her head slightly. "They're deader than earth by now."

Moonstar paused for a second. "Do you have any idea of when the murder might have taken place?"

"I'm guessing just after moonrise, maybe a little later. Not much later if no one heard the attack."

Thunderclan's leader sighed, "Daisy and Rosepetal must have gotten out to get some air. I've heard Wolf-fang can get hard to live with. They must have fallen asleep before they were attacked, or we would have heard them."

Oakfire's voice chimed in. "Well, whoever murdered them, they might have been sloppy with the kill but they weren't in covering themselves. I sent out a small patrol to where the blood scent was coming from, and we couldn't pick up anything. All Thunderclan. No tracks, either."

For a moment, there was dead silence in the clearing. "So, do you mean, you think it could be... a Thunderclan cat?" This time, it was the quaky voice of Mudwhisker. It seemed the last comment, intended to be part of a covert conversation, had caught the attention of the entire clan.

Oakfire paused, thinking about what he was going to say. "It is a possibility. It is also possible that the strong, fresh scent of blood masked whatever newcomer's scent this was. Once it wears off-"

"Once it wears off, the other cat's scent could have worn off too!" Came a yowl, possibly from Rainflame. "We have to start tracking the killer now, blood or no blood! This needs to be stopped, and stopped soon, or else who knows who they'll strike next!"

From the small thicket that Nightpool was watching the scene through, she could see Oakfire's tail flick in annoyance. He had trained Rainflame, and Nightpool thought that maybe she reminded him a bit too much of himself. "Rainflame," the deputy said, cautiously, "There will be no more attacks. If the killer thinks he or she can get away with this, then they obviously don't know the resilience of Thunderclan." He leaped down from the Rockpile to face his former apprentice. "We will not let them do this to us. And, if we find any sign that might lead to the murderer, then you will be on that patrol." He whispered, barely loud enough for Nightpool to hear. After nodding to Rainflame, he stalked back up the pile of rocks to sit next to Moonstar.

Sagebrush stood up from where she sat. "Thunderclan," She mewed, "It is my unfortunate responsibility to inform you that our elders, Daisy and Rosepetal, are dead."

Wails came up from the younger warriors, and bowed heads from the old. Nightpool herself wanted to cry out, ask Starclan why they took these lives so brutally.

"After closer examination of the bodies, I believe the murder occurred sometime around moonhigh this night." Nightpool noticed for the first time Silverpaw's head sticking out of the nursery, watching the meeting. However, when Sagebrush introduced the time of death, the young apprentice's mouth dropped into a perfect circle in shock. _Strange._

The medicine cat continued solemnly. "It seems they were murdered up by the hollow's walls and tossed down here from the highest end of the ravine down here." Her tail twitched to the current position of the bodies and a snarl formed on her teeth. "This killer is very, very dangerous. If they were able to cover up their tracks so that none of us could find them, not even our best trackers, then any murder he can commit, he can get away with, for a while."

Moonstar cut in. "You are all free to wander outside of camp, but whenever you do, you must have at least one other cat with you. Apprentices and elders may not leave camp, and certainly not kits. We would encourage you to not wander around camp at night, either." She looked down at her clan, many of whom seemed to be squirming in their seats. It was a common practice to go wandering at night, and many cats did. "As Sagebrush said, this killer is very dangerous. Anything that would increase your chances of becoming a victim would be mousebrained. Meeting adjourned!" She yowled to the morning, although she never officially called one.

As the cats began to disperse, Nightpool pried herself out of the brambles she had been hiding in and stumbled out into the open hollow. She noticed Sagebrush sitting like a stone by the bodies of the elders, and brought the dock over to her.

"Well, it's about time." The medicine cat commented before she even turned around. "Hand me that dock, Nightpool."

Nightpool laid the leaves down by her mentor's side, watching as she chewed it into a thick paste and pressed it against the "samples" she had collected earlier from the corpses.

"Now, Nightpool," Sagebrush mewed, "I recently discovered that if you cover a sample of something dead, in this case a cat, with dock, the sample is preserved for much longer than usual."

"So, you stop the decay?"

Her mentor nodded, an unusual sign of satisfaction. "Yes. The dock seeps into the sample and prevents the elements from damaging it, and helps hold the whole thing together while we can examine it. The scent even keeps away flies."

Nightpool glanced at the samples in a new light. "Have you told any of the other medicine cats about this yet?"

"I doubt they would listen." Sagebrush growled softly, "The other Clans think I am some sort of... Dark worshiper, although they have not expressed their feelings out loud."

"What? Why?" Dark worshiper? What did that mean?

"They think I follow the dark stars in the night, not Starclan because I have come up with many techniques to preserve and examine items of interest." She scoffed frustratedly, "They should be thanking me! Who do you think came up with the idea of collecting blood and scenting it to match an animal's? That little innovation saved the life of Flystar!"

Nightpool nodded thoughtfully. She had heard the story of Flystar's kidnapping by badgers before, but she hadn't known that it was Sagebrush who had come up with the life-saving technique of blood-matching.

"I think you're a hero, Sagebrush."

The creamy medicine cat looked at her, and Nightpool could swear she saw a gleam of happiness in the otherwise intense green eyes. "Thank you." She paused, considering something for a minute, "Nightpool," She whispered, "I've got something to tell you, something...you probably wouldn't expect." Sagebrush glanced around, making sure that no cats were eavesdropping, "Something I can't tell you in front of the Clan. Meet me out at the the old Twoleg Nest just after moonrise."

With that, the medicine cat stalked away to her den, leaving Nightpool alone by the bodies of Rosepetal and Daisy. Her pelt was static with anticipation, until she realized the full force of what Sagebrush had said.

_But, tonight is the vigil for the elders. Why would Sagebrush want to skip that?_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_"The mousebrained idiots!" Rainflame_ hissed to herself as she dashed out of camp with all the anger of a threatened fox. "How could they be so stupid?"

Thickets of bracken and brambles stood no chance against her, and she barreled her way through them like they were air. Rainflame knew from the sounds of scattering leaves that she was chasing away prey, but she didn't care. Let the other warriors catch the squirrels. They sure didn't seem like they were going to hunt down the killer.

Her fury faded as she tore herself through a particularly tough patch of honeysuckle to reach the lake. The serenity of the scene before Rainflame calmed her senses and relaxed her. She busied herself examining the other side, searching for cats from other clans that might be patrolling their own boundaries. Sure enough, there were a few, Riverclan by the size of them, stalking by their side of the lake opposite to Rainflame. Perhaps she knew them.

Sighing, she sat down, pressing her pads against the cool earth and feeling the stability of it.

"Rainflame?" A mew from behind her took Rainflame by surprise. She spun around into a crouch, ready to spring at whatever opponent was after her now.

"Oh, hey Snowstorm." Rainflame relaxed as she recognized her clanmate. The white tom was standing not a fox-length behind her. The gray she-cat was slightly appalled at herself that she had not heard his approach.

"Hi." Snowstorm padded towards Rainflame and sat on the ground next to her. "I saw you run out of camp after the meeting."

Rainflame tilted her head down slightly and she felt her fur grow hot. "Was I that obvious?"

"No. Only to me." Snowstorm's brown eyes were sparkling. "I thought you were very brave, standing up to Oakfire like that."

The she-cat raised her head suddenly to look at him in the eyes. "Brave? Call it stupid."

"Why?" The white tom tilted his head quizzically.

"Because Oakfire was right. If the blood smell was already there, and really that strong, than it would block out any animal scent there might be, and we would have no way of tracking down the killer."

"Assuming the killer has left the clan."

Rainflame leaped to her feet sharply and faced Snowstorm, back arched. "Are you suggesting that one of Thunderclan did this?"

Snowstorm gently rose to face her in the eyes. "No. I am saying that I am sure that someone in the clan did this, and I intend to find out who."

Static prickled her spine as Rainflame realized that he might be accusing her. In her defense, she mewed, "Without any solid evidence, Moonstar won't start making inquisitions."

"What if I could find some?"

"Then you would either be a liar, a traitor, or a vigilante."

Snowstorm moved closer to Rainflame, so close she was overwhelmed by his scent. A whisker's length away, he said. "I'll take my chances. But I'll have better ones with you at my side."

Rainflame backed away quickly, still staring into his deep brown eyes. "Why me?"

"You have fire. You have spirit. You are one of the best warriors I think I have ever seen." Snowstorm mewed softly, "I would be proud to have you by my side."

Rainflame was taken in by his eloquence for a few seconds, but then recoiled at his imminent approach, remembering that this was still the cat who accused one of their clanmates of murder. "Your words, although flattering, do not change anything between us. If you wish to investigate independently, than you will alone. I will not assist you in your quest to destroy the clan."

"Very well." Snowstorm dipped his head to her, "I wished you would assist me, but it seems that you have too much trust of your own clan."

The gray she-cat's back arched defensively. "Or you have too little."

With that, she stalked away into the forest, heading for camp.

It was nearly moonrise by the time Rainflame made it back to camp, although it had only been midmorning when the elder's bodies were found. Distraught, she had wandered around the forest alone, hunting to fill the gap in her heart that had been emptied with the death of Rosepetal. The ruddy elder had been her grandmother, the one who had birthed Dawnmoon. In truth, Rosepetal had been Rainflame's favorite elder, and as an apprentice she had always volunteered to clear the ticks from her pelt, if not to listen to her stories, then to just be by her. Having no littermates but the ever-distant Ravenflight, Rosepetal was the only true friend she had ever had. But when she had seen her mutilated corpse, Rainflame's insides felt like they were on fire.

The vigil for the elders would be starting soon. With a thrush in her jaws and a squirrel on her back, Rainflame trotted into the hollow like a cat who had just seen her first battle. She tried not to glance at the cluster of cats who had already taken vigil in the center of the camp as she approached the fresh-kill pile.

"Rainflame?" Moonstar's voice from behind made Rainflame jump.

"Yes, Moonstar?"

The white leader glanced from side to side before mewing, "I know Rosepetal's death is hard for you. I've noticed how, when you were young, you would never listen to your mother but always listen to her." Moonstar paused, "She was your grandmother, wasn't she?"

Rainflame nodded slowly before her leader continued. "That is why I need you to do something for me tonight."

"What is it?" This sparked her curiosity.

Moonstar glanced around again before lowering her voice, "I need you to go tell the other clans of their murders tonight. As one of my best warriors and excellent runners, I need you to act as messenger and inform the other leaders."

"What? But what about the vigil?"

"I'm very sorry." The pale she-cat shook her head sadly, "But, if you do this, it will help us track down the killer. Something you seem to be interested in."

Rainflame's heart seemed to be burning. Moonstar had never asked another warrior to skip a vigil at all, let alone for a dead relative. "How will that help us catch the murderer?" She almost hissed.

"Watch their reactions. Tell the clans the news and watch out for any suspicious behavior. Especially in Shadowclan." She growled, an unusual display of ferocity from the otherwise peaceful leader. "If a cat from another clan would have done this, I suspect it would be one of them. You know how our relationship with them has been in the past few moons."

Rainflame winced nervously. The recently appointed leader of Shadowclan, Proudstar, had showed almost open hostility towards Thunderclan when they attempted to help drive a badger off Shadowclan territory. Many of the warriors would have considered the whole exercise a waste of time if kits had not been threatened. Rainflame herself had participated, and remembered the fright as the Shadowclan warriors approached her with claws unsheathed.

"You have always had good relations with the other clans. Many of them would trust you with their lives. That is why I am sending you."

Moonstar leaned in closer, staring at Rainflame with deep blue eyes. "Unless you would like to stay for the vigil?"

After a few moments of pondering, Rainflame shook her head.

"Ah. I thought you might want to get some air. This has been a horrible day for you, hasn't it?" Moonstar brushed her tail comfortingly across Rainflame's back. "Please, if you see any sign that a cat from another clan might have committed this atrocity, report back to me." As she padded off to take her place in the vigil, she hissed, "It's about time we did something about this."


End file.
